It’s been over a year since light-heavyweight Phil Davis last stepped into the Bellator cage. When he returns at Bellator 297, he does so refreshed, healthy, and ready to pick up where he left off, having won his last two fights in a row.
For Davis, it wasn’t so much one thing that kept him out the past year, but a culmination of various nagging issues that he finally decided to address with some time off. He believes he’ll be a better fighter in 2023 for it.
“A lot of times there’s not a lot of credit to sustaining damage in a win, but there were some nagging injuries going into that fight,” Davis told MMAWeekly.com. “I definitely felt great to fight against (Julius) Angelickas (at Bellator 276 in March of 2022), but you get back to training and you get injured again, and it just sucks. So that’s where it’s definitely better to take some time to let your body heal up and continue forward with a great mindset.
“I just want to walk into every fight with full confidence and a full mindset that I’m going to put on a good performance and am ready to rock.”
At this point in his career, Davis isn’t trying to reinvent himself, but rather continue to further develop his skillset into an overwhelming package that his opponents can’t deal with.
“Training’s been good,” said Davis. “It’s just more of the same. More attention given to details; just more focused energy.
“The more time I have in this game, the more I learn everything; just refining my strikes, refining accuracy, being more patient and diligent in terms of my takedowns. It’s been very helpful.”
Phil Davis faces Corey Anderson at Bellator 297 in Chicago
In Chicago, Illinois, this Friday, No. 2 ranked Davis (24-6) will seek to pick up his third win in a row when he takes on No. 1 ranked Corey Anderson (16-6) in a main card light heavyweight bout at Bellator 297.
The winner of Davis vs. Anderson is likely to get a crack at the Bellator light heavyweight championship. Current titleholder Vadim Nemkov, who has beaten them both, faces Yoel Romero Bellator 297 main event.
“To get a win over a dude like (Anderson), he’s one of those dudes you’ve got to come out and take center cage, got to press the action, and allow him to make mistakes. But that is easier said than done,” Davis said.
“Part of it is just being able to patient and allow for the mistakes to show themselves. Part of what I’ve been working on is not second guessing those opportunities and just going for them. Now I’m going for it – just being free of mind and free of thought and when you get someone’s timing or get positioning, just strike.”
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For Davis, the opportunities will come when they come. So he’s not going to stress over trying to force them, but rather go with the flow of things and take advantage of situations presented to him when they arrive.
“Everything comes together when it comes together,” said Davis. “To your advantage, you’ve just got to be calm, be patient, and continue to do the right things.
“Just be focused and continue to train and be focused, and it will come together. I have no idea what the second half of the year looks like, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Phil Davis aiming for gold with win over Corey Anderson at Bellator 297
